46 THE BOOK OF REAL FAIBIEri

But he could not, for Mother leaned back to finish
her interrupted nap.

" If he gets sullen again, dear," she murmured
drowsily, " feed him with paper. Salamanders like
paper as much as you do candy."

<c Do they ? " asked the astonished Evelyn. " Then
I shall give him some, and perhaps he will get a bit
better natured, poor fellow. I am sure I shouldn't
like to be poked in my ribs."

" That's just it," whined the Salamander, tc every-
one is so mean to me. You saw what that horrid
woman did to me."

<( Oh, no, they aren't," answered Evelyn quickly,
c£ and my dear mother wasn't horrid, she was just
making you do your duty."

6i What's that ? "

" Duty is what you know you should do," explain-
ed Evelyn.

<( I don't care about that," said the Salamander.
" Didn't you promise to teed me with some paper ? "

<c I'll get some," said the generous Evelyn, quite
forgetting that a moment before the Salamander had
tried to injure her. She tore an old newspaper to
bits and, very cautiously and at arm's length, she
tossed it to the waiting sprite, who sprang upon it
greedily and eagerly licked off all the white, leaving
only a crisp, black speck, which floated lightly up the
chimney.